A government minister launched a rare attack Monday on Iran's downplaying of the impact of international sanctions, saying that "lying" to the public over the measures had left the country "backward".

Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh, the industry, mining and trade minister, delivered the broadside at a conference in Tehran, claiming years of statements about sanctions not hurting the country were false.

An Argentine prosecutor found dead just hours before giving what was expected to be damning testimony against President Cristina Kirchner appears to have committed suicide, the nation's top security official said Monday.

"All signs point to suicide," said Argentine Security Secretary Sergio Berni following the death of Alberto Nisman, 51, whose body was found overnight in his apartment in the trendy Puerto Madero neighborhood of the capital.

Iran's footballers have been warned they could face punishment if they take "selfie" pictures with female fans who have turned out in large numbers at the Asian Cup.

The head of the Iranian Football Federation's moral committee said players risked being used as a "political tool" if snapped with women fans.

Speaker Nabih Berri has accused Israel of seeking to hit Lebanon every time the country makes progress towards stability as a report said that he held contacts with top officials to contain the repercussions of an Israeli strike that killed several Hizbullah members.

“Every time we take steps forward in terms of achieving stability … Israel tries to create chaos,” local dailies on Monday quoted Berri as telling his visitors.

Supporters of Iran sanctions in the U.S. Senate have unveiled a toned-down bill aimed at gaining enough votes to override a presidential veto.

President Barack Obama has argued forcefully against any new measures against the Islamic Republic, saying Iran was already chafing under existing sanctions and imposing new ones could torpedo ongoing talks on an agreement to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear bomb, a goal it denies having.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met in Paris on Friday to discuss negotiations for a nuclear deal, a U.S. official said.

The pair, who held a marathon six-hour round of talks in Geneva earlier this week in a bid to nail down a deal, were taking the opportunity to meet again in the French capital on separate diplomatic trips.

Israel's former National Security Adviser Maj. Gen. Yaakov Amidror has warned that Hizbullah poses one of the biggest threats to the Jewish State in 2015, saying its arsenal has exceeded the firepower of most European states combined.

The Jerusalem Post quoted Amidror as saying that the Israeli army must prepare for three challenges this year - a large-scale ground war against Hizbullah, a war of attrition with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and a potential military operation in Iran.

U.S. President Barack Obama told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that America was committed to a "comprehensive" nuclear deal with Iran, and said that Palestinian ICC membership was not "constructive," officials said.

"The United States is focused on reaching a comprehensive deal with Iran that prevents Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and verifiably assures the international community of the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear program," the White House said in a statement.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will meet his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif next week in Geneva ahead of a fresh round of nuclear talks, an Iranian official said Friday.

Kerry and Zarif will meet on January 14 in Geneva "to provide the necessary instruction to their deputies before negotiations" over Tehran's nuclear program resume, Iranian negotiator Abbas Araqchi was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency.

Turkey is planning to buy four more F-35 Joint Strike Fighters from the US, in addition to the two it had already ordered, the country's defense industry agency said.

"It has been agreed that four more F-35 planes will be procured in addition to the two previously ordered as part of a plan to buy a total of 100 new generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighters," the defense industry executive committee (SSM) said in a statement posted on its website.